1992 Mazda B2200 - 'Da Grape Ape

Finally Finished... For Now

Seven years ago, on one of our trips out of state to cover a show for Mini Truckin' magazine, we were invited North of the U.S. border to cover a show in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, by a club known at the time as XXX. The club, named after a very stout Canadian beer, was a fun-loving group, and we had the time of our lives getting to know the club and cover its show. That weekend, we met a big guy with red hair and a laugh that could rock cement walls named Grant Browne. His truck was a Mazda with a beautiful but outdated paintjob. The truck was extremely nice and very clean, but it belonged somewhere in 1985, not 1995. As the years went by, Grant stayed in touch while we lost all contact with the members of the now defunct XXX truck club. Recently, Grant finished up the total rebuild of his truck and traveled with his friends to the most recent Truckin' Nationals. Even though it had been a few years since we'd seen the guy, the time seemed like it was only yesterday. With years of conversations behind us, and a great friendship, we forged ahead and finally were able to shoot his truck for a feature of its own in 2002. There's been a lot of water that has flowed under this Mazda, as well as between its owner and us editors. Proudly, we present one of the cleanest Mazdas that has ever cruised North America.

Engine The 2.2L four-cylinder's head was ported and polished, and a performance-ground cam was installed to extract more power from the diminutive four-banger. Additionally, a custom-made air intake that uses a K&N air filter was installed to help the mousy motor breath somewhat easier. Other performance enhancements include the installation of Aurora spark plug wires, a Centerforce Dual Friction clutch, a Dynomax muffler, and 2.25-inch exhaust tubing routed rearwards.

Lowering Lowered using Firestone 2500 series air springs and damped by Belltech drop shocks.

Paint The original basecoat of the truck is long gone, and in its place is a bright PPG 30th Anniversary Lamborghini Purple. Additionally, the front end was flamed with a red-tinted version of the Lambo' color to offset the basecoat. Kevin Schievink in Abbotsford handled all of the paint duties on the truck.

Body Modifications After tearing off the original sheetmetal, Grant installed a pair of 4x4 Mazda truck fenders, a grille, a hood, and a hard-to-find 4x4 bed. Equipped with the highly sought after and much wider body parts, Grant had Kevin Schievink complete most of the custom bodywork on his Mazda. Schievink shaved the inner and the outer door locks, the tailgate handle, the stereo antenna, and the factory emblems.

Interior Reupholstered by Apple Auto Glass in Abbotsford using black and purple tweed over a pair of Honda Prelude bucket seats. The dash in the B2200 was wrapped using the same color tweed for a clean look. The center of the cab is home to a custom-built center console that houses the truck's air suspension setup's adjustable controls.

Stereo The stereo system consists of an Alpine head unit, a PPI 400-watt amplifier, and two 8W6 JL Audio subwoofers mounted in an custom enclosure that sit behind the B2200's bucket seats. Tones that don't rumble the ground come from an array of MB Quart separates mounted in the truck's door panels in custom enclosures. Greg Knoske at A&B Sound in Abbotsford performed all of the installation of the stereo components Grant chose to make his ride bump.

Updates Currently, the truck's torn apart and sitting on jackstands awaiting the arrival of new wheels and new front and rear fascia components for yet another rebuild. Look for a completely different Mazda to come rollin' out of Grant's garage in the Great White North soon.

Special Thanks To Jason, Sandy, Greg, Tom, Apple Auto Glass, Brisland's Custom Shop, and especially to Grant's wife Amanda for putting up with Grant through the years.